


XF Friday Nights 1: Senator Matheson of Iowa

by ML_is_me



Series: XF Friday Nights [1]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Gen, XF Friday Nights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-31 01:05:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10888653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ML_is_me/pseuds/ML_is_me
Summary: Inspired by a deleted scene from thePilot, where Ethan Minette tells his girlfriend,Dana Scully, he knows who "Spooky" Mulder is.





	XF Friday Nights 1: Senator Matheson of Iowa

Washington, D.C. Office of Senator Richard   
Matheson

"Your ticket will be waiting at the gate, and the   
car will be here in half an hour. Is there   
anything else, Senator?" His newest assistant, a   
real go-getter, stood poised and ready to rush out   
and do whatever his bidding might be.

"No, I think you should close up and go home,   
Carol. Enjoy your long weekend."

"Thank you, Sir. You, too."

Senator Richard Matheson began putting folders into   
his briefcase for the flight home. The start of a   
long weekend meant time at home, but no lessening   
of the work.

"Sir?" Carol put her head around the door. "A Fox   
Mulder here to see you? He doesn't have an   
appointment."

"It's all right," the Senator said. "He's the son   
of an old friend."

His assistant went back to the outer office and   
returned with the unexpected visitor.

"Do you need me to reschedule your flight?" Carol   
asked pointedly as she stood in the door.

"No, it's fine, Carol. Go on home." 

"Fox!" The Senator said jovially as the door   
closed. "How good to see you. How's your father?"

"Sir, I'm not here on a social call," the younger   
man said. Matheson put his finger to his lips and   
went to the office door, opening it quietly. All   
clear.

"How about a drink?" Matheson asked. He went to a   
cabinet containing a small bar and poured them both   
a stiff Scotch. "Sit down, Fox. Here."

He handed his guest a drink and gestured for him to   
sit down. 

"I must say, I'm surprised to see you here during   
'business hours', Fox," said the Senator. "I   
thought we had an agreement."

"More than a year has passed, Sir. I thought --"

"People in politics have long memories. But no   
matter. It's late in the day, just before a long   
weekend, it's not likely that many people are   
about." He sat back in his chair. "How is your   
father?"

Fox looked stony. "I haven't seen him in a while."

"Well, next time you do, give him my best,"   
Matheson said. "What brings you here?"

"They're giving me a new partner," he said.

"It's about time. You've been left alone too   
long."

"I don't need any help," Fox said flatly. "It's   
better that I work alone."

"Most agents have partners, don't they?" Matheson   
said mildly. "And you're a field agent. You need   
backup when you go into the field, don't you?   
Unless you're going back to the Violent Crimes   
Unit?"

"No Sir, I'm still pursuing...other areas," the   
young agent said. "And I don't need anyone along   
who will impede me."

"What happened to your last partner? She didn't   
impede you, did she?"

"She took a promotion and transfer. It was too   
good an opportunity to pass up," Fox recited   
without conviction. 

It had been part of a double blow to his young   
protege the year before, the Senator reflected.   
The UFO research funding had died in committee --   
thanks to some careful internal lobbying and a   
whisper campaign against his esteemed colleague in   
the House -- though not before it had created a   
scandal on the Hill.

He'd met with the headstrong young man for the   
first time then, although he'd known of him for a   
while. While at the State Department, Bill Mulder   
had been to the Hill any number of times,   
testifying in closed sessions of the Appropriations   
Committee that Matheson happened to be on. As was   
often the case, most influence seemed to take place   
outside the meetings, and the two men had   
cultivated the friendship for their separate   
reasons. 

Once Bill Mulder had retired, Matheson had kept   
track of Bill's son. His reason was not solely as   
a favor to an old friend, but to keep track of the   
young man's interests. Being who he was, a lot of   
people were keeping track of him, and in some   
circles it was thought that he would be a valuable   
asset, depending how future events unfolded.

That is, if he didn't implode first. 

"And you've been without a partner since then?"   
Matheson asked.

"I've been doing some work for Violent Crimes.   
That was the agreement, wasn't it? That I help   
them when asked?"

There was a slight air of petulance about the young   
agent, as though he felt he was being punished for   
something not his fault.

Fox Mulder obviously didn't realize how close the   
whole thing had come to being a career-ender for   
him. The nickname he'd earned when he was the   
golden boy of Violent Crimes began to take on a   
much less flattering connotation. It had taken   
Matheson a considerable amount of influence to keep   
Fox from being drummed out of the FBI entirely, and   
to allow him to continue the indulgence of the X-  
Files. Matheson had agreed, with the others, that   
they'd have to find a better way to control him 

His partner was transferred -- though they made it   
look like it was her idea. Diana Fowley was   
ambitious enough that it had worked, with Fox none   
the wiser. As planned, they'd been more than work   
partners, but after showing how little a   
sympathetic partner was able to control him, the   
discussion turned to alternatives. It was agreed   
that it would be better to try someone who was less   
amenable to his theories, and someone who didn't   
have a stake in the game herself. 

"That's what I was told, as long as your solve rate   
doesn't suffer. How many cases have you solved   
from the X Files so far?"

Fox shifted uncomfortably. "The investigations are   
ongoing. They were filed as unsolved for a   
reason."

"Exactly. So you probably need help with them. It   
can't be easy going it alone."

There were so many things Fox didn't know --   
couldn't know -- about why he was suffered to   
investigate these files. He also couldn't know   
that his new partner had been hand-picked for him,   
same as his old one, though for different reasons. 

It had been agreed that he needed someone who   
wouldn't just give in to him. Someone who wasn't   
his type. Seduction as a technique was all very   
well -- if the seducer didn't fall for her victim.

Not that there was any guarantee that Dana Scully   
wouldn't fall for him, or he for her. She was   
beautiful and smart, a deadly combination. She   
just wasn't Fox Mulder's type, and he definitely   
had one. Tall, buxom, and agreeable usually filled   
the bill. Dana Scully was none of those things.

She was, however, a rule-follower, someone who   
believed in the chain of command and the system.   
Those attributes, along with her background in the   
hard sciences, made her a perfect foil for Fox and   
his as-yet unproven theories. It didn't hurt that   
she was in a committed relationship, either.   
Blevins promised that they would keep closer tabs   
on the situation, too, and not rely solely on her   
reports for information.

"What have you heard about her?" He asked,   
although he'd seen her file. He'd asked Blevins to   
keep him out of the day-to-day details as much as   
possible. He needed plausible deniability, but   
Blevins was a follower, not a leader.

"She's a doctor, recruited right out of medical   
school. She's been teaching at Quantico since   
then. She has very little field experience;   
they're grooming her for head of Forensic Science   
at the Academy. They say she's likely to run the   
show one day, or at least be Deputy Director." Fox   
drained his glass. "She's a real bluuuuuuue   
flamer," he drawled with a sardonic expression.

"Really. Then what are you afraid of? That she'll   
outshine you? That she'll prove you wrong?"

"Maybe I'm afraid that she'll let her ambition get   
in the way of the work. That she'll shut me down   
because she's told to. That she'll do what's   
politically expedient, not what's right."

"Do you have any evidence to support these fears?"

"I know what I know," he said stubbornly.

"It boils down to this, Fox. I don't think it's   
appropriate for me to intervene in what is really a   
personnel matter."

"But you said you believed in my cause. That you   
wanted to help me," Fox interrupted.

"Yes, I did, and I do. But as I told you last   
year, there's a proper time for such things. I am   
in favor of an eventual bill, but the timing has to   
be right. The people will never be in favor of   
funding something like that without a credible   
threat or some kind of evidence."

"So I keep shouting at the heavens with my badge   
and gun in the meantime?"

Matheson shook his head and smiled in disbelief.   
"You really don't know the meaning of 'low   
profile', do you?"

"Of course I do. My office is in the basement, how   
much lower can I get?"

"Very funny. You know exactly what I mean." He   
walked to his desk and closed his briefcase with a   
snap. "Fox, if it should get out that I'm exerting   
influence for your benefit in this, it's going to   
decrease my ability to influence in areas where it   
really matters. Not to mention that it won't do   
your reputation any good."

"I think I've already taken care of that on my own,   
Sir," Mulder muttered.

"Be that as it may. You gained a name for   
yourself, a good name, as a profiler and a rising   
star. Some indulgence has been given you as a   
result. But if you start refusing to work with   
people and draw too much attention to yourself, any   
help I can give you is over."

"It shouldn't matter what people think if you're   
trying to uncover the truth. I thought that you   
were as interested in that as I am. And you   
approached me first."

"Don't make me regret it, Fox." Matheson poured   
himself another drink, and offered the bottle to   
Mulder, who shook his head no. "I'm a politician,   
first and foremost. My influence ends if I'm voted   
out of office. After last year's UFO fiasco, I   
need to be careful. You may not care who you piss   
off, but I have to."

Silence from Fox. His expression was uncannily   
like Matheson's teenage son had been when he was   
grounded. Matheson waited.

"So I'm stuck with her." Mulder finally said   
glumly. "A babysitter, and a rookie at that.   
She's hardly been out of Quantico."

"Maybe it's better that way," Matheson said. "She   
won't know much about you, you'll have a clean   
slate with her." He stood up. "I'm sorry; I do   
have a plane to catch. Is there anything else I   
can do for you?"

"I guess not," Fox Mulder said sullenly. He stood   
up, squared his shoulders, and held out his hand.   
"Thank you for seeing me, Sir," he said   
courteously.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you on this,   
Fox, but please keep in touch," Matheson said, as   
he would to any constituent who petitioned his   
help.

He watched as Mulder let himself out of the outer   
door, and locked it quietly behind him. He looked   
at his watch and picked up the phone to dial.

When the call connected, he said, "Hello, old   
friend. Now, don't sound so suspicious. Yes, I do   
have a favor to ask, but I think it's one that you   
won't mind granting."

He listened for a moment. "Yes, that's right, Fox   
Mulder. You know him already...."

x-x-x

End.

**Author's Note:**

> And so it begins! As I go back to the   
> beginning and re-watch episodes, I wonder if   
> there's anything to be written that hasn't already   
> been written.
> 
> That remains to be seen. There are things that I'm   
> interested in exploring, in looking at from   
> different angles, knowing what I know now. If   
> you're interested, stay tuned...


End file.
